Bag-lined garbage receptacle



1968 w. H. LINDHOLM ETAL 3,

BAG-LINED GARBAGE RECEPTACLE Filed June 8, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 w m .F35.10

1016 16 16a INVENTORS 11 ZZZ; 1 15'. 2 flawldfi/zzdfzgkzz w www-@WMTORNEYS 2 1968 w. H. LINDHOLM ETAL 3,370,787

BAG -LINED G ARBAGE RECEPTACLE Filed June 8, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet v I I IN VEN TORS mbZ zzzd/zglrzz WM M @WATTORNEYS Feb. 27, 1968 w. 1 H M ETAL3,370,737

BAG-LINED G ARBAGE RECEPTACLE Filed June 8, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 m'@WTTORNEYS United States Patent 3,370,787 BAG-LINED GARBAGE RECEPTACLEWilliam H. Lindholm, 8514 W. 119th Place, Palos Park, Ill. 60464, andDonald W. Lindholm, 15929 S. Grove, Oak Forest, Iii. 60452 Filed June 8,1966, Ser. No. 556,164 12 Claims. (Cl. 232-432) The present inventionrelates to a bag-lined receptacle of the type that may be used toreceive garbage. A baglined garbage receptacle of the type hereindisclosed may be used in the kitchen of a household where it willprovide support for the side walls of a paper garbage bag to preventtipping or spilling from such a bag. When the garbage bag so supportedis filled, the receptacle may be easily removed to the place of disposaland the garbage containing bag easily deposited there without the userhandling the bag itself.

A feature of this invention is the provision of a split rigid containeradapted to be lined with a conventional grocery and produce paper bag inwhich garbage can be packed and pressed tightly to fill the bag withoutresulting in bursting or tearing of the bag and adapted to be easilyopened and expanded to release the packed bag without damage.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved bag-lined garbage receptacle which may be used as describedabove or in similar uses.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide such areceptacle which is easy and economical to use, assemble andmanufacture.

It is one object of the invention to provide a receptacle which candischarge a bag and its contents without the necessity of handling thebag itself.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide such a containerwhich will not jam in discharging its contents even if irregular oroversized items are placed therein.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention a receptacleis provided which is adapted to receive a bag and support it in an openupright position to receive material introduced through the top of thereceptacle and to discharge the filled bag through the bottom of thereceptacle. The receptacle comprises a pivotally connected complementarymember defining an open-ended tube in closed position adapted to swingto an open position providing an enlarged space therebetween, and a lidselectively closing the top of the tube and the bottom. Means arefurther provided for selectively locking the bottom in a closedposition, whereby a bag introduced through the top of the closedlockedtogether members may rest in the bottom completely enveloped bythe members in a supporting upright position lining the tube definedthereby to receive material through the top thereof and may easily bedischarged through the bottom by unlocking the members and by swingingthe members to an open position.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will bereadily apparent from the following detailed description of certainpreferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

On the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bag-lined receptacle constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the receptacle of FIG. 1 with hidden partsshown in dashed outline;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, of the receptacle asseen from the line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

3,379,787 Patented Feb. 27, 1968 ice FIG. 4 is a view similar to that ofFIG. 3 as seen from the line IV-1V of FIG. 2;

FIG. .5 is a perspective view of the receptacle of FIGS. 14, with a partshown in a moved position;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the receptacle as depicted in FIG. 5,partially shown in section with parts broken away and with interior andhidden parts shown in dashed outline;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a portion of the receptacle of FIGS. 1-6,as seen from the line VHVII in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view partly in section of another part of thereceptacle shown in FIGS. 17 as seen from the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the receptacle of FIGS. 1-8 with partsshown in a moved position; and

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view with parts broken away to showinterior parts of the receptacle as depicted in FIG. 9.

As shown on the drawings:

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is depicted a receptacle adapted toreceive and support a bag containing garbage or the like. Thereceptacle, which is generally indicated by the numeral 10, comprisespivotally connected complementary members 11 and 12 defining anopen-ended tube when in a closed position, as shown. The member 11comprises a rectangular front wall 11a and rectangular side walls 11bformed at the longitudinal end edges thereof as part of a unitarystructure for enclosing three sides of a rectangular tube. The member 12completes the tube with a rectangular back side wall 12a, best shown inFIG. 2. In addition to the back side wall 12a, the member 12 includes apair of oppositely disposed triangular-shaped wall segments 12b whichoverlap for a portion on the outer surface of the walls 11b of themember 11 and include a pivot mounting 13 defined ,therebetween. Theside walls 121; are in the shape of a right triangle with the base alongthe edge of the back wall 12a and the altitude adjacent to the top edgeof the wall 11b. Selectively closing the top of the tube formed by themembers 11 and 12 is a lid 14 of a generally rectangular configurationsized to fit over the generally rectangular cross-sectional end of thetube and pivotally mounted at 14a to the member 12 along the upper edgeof the back wall 12a. The members 11 and 12 are of such a size andconfiguration as to receive therein a conventionally sized paper bag orsack of the type commonly used in super markets for the packaging ofgroceries and thus are commonly available to the housewife. Such bagsare often used independently of a receptacle for holding garbage in thekitchen. When so used, they are easily upset and garbage placed thereinoften soaks through the paper and spills or causes the bag to tear andthus spill the contents at an inconvenient location. The receptacle 10is sized so as to support such a bag and maintain it until thetransportation of the bag and the garbage contained therein to asuitable disposal area may be achieved. The lid 14 includes anoutstanding lifting handle 15 placed on the front edge 14b and similarhandles 15 formed on the transverse edges of the lid.

A carrying handle 30 is provided for the receptacle 10 of a generallysquared C-shape for fiitting about the outer surfaces of the sections ofthe receptacle. The handle is attached at the point 30a on each sidewall 111; to the exterior plate 31 formed for receiving it. Thereceiving metal plates or hinge fittings 31 are preferably welded to anddepend downward from a wire 22 at the transverse center point of thewalls 11b. The fittings 31 extend through a cutout portion of theplastic encasement of the wire 22 and are positioned outside of thewalls 11b to prevent any contact between the metal fitting 21 andinterior of the receptacle ll).

The receptacle 10 is further provided with a base 16 of generallyrectangular conforming configuration for closing the bottom of the tubeformed by the members 11 and 12. The base 16 includes means 17 forselectively locking the base to the members 11 and 12. The locking means17 is affixed at the front longitudinal edge of the base 16 between thatedge and the portion of the front wall 114; of the member 11. The base16 is pivotally mounted to the rear wall 12a of the member 12 along itsbottom edge 12a, as shown in FIG. 2, by means of a pair of spaced hinges16a and 16b. The members 11 and 12, the lid 14, the base 16 and thelocking means 17 are preferably formed of a flexible plastic materialsuch as polyethylene or stiff rubber and reinforced by a plurality ofwire or rod sections. Although other construction materials may be usedsuch as wood or light metal, the more flexible materials are preferred.The receptacle formed from the preferred material is not only light inweight and easy to assemble but is also easily cleaned. It should be nod at y P a tic p ts a e xp e to the s i the present embodiment and thatany leakage may be easily wiped or hosed off at the time of dischargingthe bag from the receptacle. The member 12 is reinforced by a thin rodor stiff wire 18 of circular cross section. The wire 18 generallyencircles the periphery of the member 12 extending along the hypotenuseand altitude sides of the triangular walls 12b and across the top andbottom of the wall 121;. The wire 18 is encased in and surrounded 'bythe flexible material of the walls for most of its extent bu is n so nased a ong the lower e o wall 12 Th ab s i to rece e he ex n i p s 164and 16b of the base 16 which cooperate with the wire 18 to form thepivotal connection between the base 16 and the member 12.

Wel ed to a d ex nd fr m t i e 8 a s po t n al n he upper d e o he ck 12i a U- h po ten ng sect o 1 fo m d to i about a p a P Po ic'ulatly t tht o th b ck wa l 1 T a i betwe n he walll a and the cti n a s best ep dn FIG. 3- Ret ng o h gur it ca e o n ha the outstan g p n 18 ha the duaunc on o se v g a a ck s oppe f he lid 4 a d a a o dy s ha d e for theecep acl .10. Th li .1 i o med i an n o shallow dish-l ke confi ur t n wh dge w l o- Psndin rom h c nt a po tion f th l d 4- Th id 14 i pivoally m unted on he wi 8 by means of a Pair o e end g por ions 14:: w ichfin a C-shape o e ins to en i cle the w e 8 for apo tion ot its cirumter noo- Th p r i n 14 h s on ope n of a no ma ime s n less th n hatof the d met r f t Wi e 18 and is constructed of resiliently deformablematerial to all he wir .8 t en r o n d r g s b y.-

Ih i e i r of ho ho ow tube ormed y e emb s 1 a d has a pl l ty of hasolder v 9 P tio ab u the pp r e ge of the members 11 an 14- e a h de s.2!) are a p o slly ed abo a po t o o he reinforc ng wi e 8 or t equivae bou t pp e ge o a p rtion f he mem e 11 d s e y the num T s po tion exnd abo th ppe e of h em er 1 p o a p n approx mate y dj e o the uppeedge of sid Wall 12b of h m er 2 The bag holders 20 serve to maintainthe side walls of a bag 23, which rnay be a conventional grocery paperbag, aga n t he in e r s de walls f the me be 1 a 2 i a ed co figur io hag ho de 2 are Pi o ally mounted about the wires 18 or 22 for movementaway from and clear of the bag when inserted and serve the a fun i n ofa n ain ng h s ls of the has a st e o xpand when forced a ain th who .189:22 to allow the bag holder 20 to snap on to the wire 18-or or thelike, extending in a first portipn 17b which forms a hinge for the body170, in which the portion 117, is received and from which an extendinghandle 17d is formed, the body 17c is hinged at the point 17b. so thatpressure on the outstanding handle portion 17d will readily remove'thebody portion 176' from the ridge 17a from its locking contact with theoutstanding portion 117. Similarly a slight pressure uponthe flexiblematerial of the member 17 will replace and relock the members to,-gether. It has been found'that this simple lock is suff cient andprovides adequate security to hold the base to the members 11 and tohold together the members 11 and 12.

This lock 17 actually holds more securely with the increasing load asthe receptacle is filled. The base 16 is preferably hinged by the hinges16a and 16b and is made with a conformin-gly shapedsnap-on provision ofa C.- opening 16b similar to that described above in conjunction withthe lid 14 and hinges 14a, with the hinges being flexible and easilyplacedon'thc wire 18 during assembly. The base 16 is formed in the shapeof a shallow dish, opening upward so as to be able to entrap any liquidseep.- age therein to lessen the chance of spillage or leakage from thereceptacle 10. The forward part, as indicated at 162 is sloped tofacilitate the discharge of the bag 22.

from the receptacle 10. The junction between the base 16 and the members11 and 12 may be made tight fitting and substantially leak-proof. Therim of the base 1.6, as indicated at 16), encases the bottom edge of themember .11 to prevent bulging of this member when the bag is ll W harbage or the like;

In F G- the coope ation be ween th as 2 the bag holder 20 is shown. Oneof the side wall holders is shown in its open position as in preparationfor the insertion of the bag 23. When open,'the bag holder 20 has s uppr Po t est n a a ns h h suppo t 8 a t side wall 12b so as to be clear ofthe opening formed by the uppe o s s o he m mber 1 an 2- T ssb 10, withthe lid 14 upraised and resting against the wire portion 131:, is inposition to receive garbage placed here n- Th h s 2. Wi l b mai ed o e ht s es e d a a s the side o the m m r 1 nd b h as hol ers 20 when c s d.

n G- the spaci r la on p bet ee h r c pa l and the ho de s 0 is shown heho d lt ar ce lly po oned n h t n W 114 and bask wall 12 and one eachapproximately. centered .onthe side walls 11b at approximatelyone-quarter of the dise s f th front al 1 t the e a l 12 As best shownin FIG. 7, the bag holders 20 comprise a r c a u ap d p a a membe 20 1wh c ha i counter portion 20b for lying against the sides of the ,bagwhen in position as shown in FIG. 5, In its closed position the member20a is spaced from the side walls, such as the wall 1112, by means of aspacer portion 20b which rests h i s h psta in port on 29 o the h ld r20 serves to maintain the holder 20 in the ppen position resting againstthe outer surface of the portion of the wall 11b.

The pivots 13 between the members 11 and 12 are formed in a uniquemanner so as to facilitate assembly;

A-s best shown in FIG. .8, the walls 12b are each formed with acontinuous projection in the shape ,of a cone-section tapering outwardlywith an expanding diameter from the wall 12b. The section 13a of thewall 12b is formed with a hole 13b of conforming shape and size, i.e.,of

increasing diameter from without through the interior of the wall 12b.As the members 11 and 12 are, as men tioned above, preferably made offlexible material such --"as polyethylene, the assembly of the portionsis made easily and quickly as the walls may simply be pressed togetherto allow the outstanding portion 13a to enter the hole 13b, and becaptivated therein.

As depicted in FIG. 9, the members 11 and 12 are so constructed as toopen upon release of the locking means 17 so that the base 16 may swingaway, and any bag such as the bag 23, indicated in dashed outline inFIG. 9, may fall clear therefrom. With the receptacle 10 supported bythe handle 30:: at approximately its center of gravity, at the releaseof the locking means 17 the downward pull of gravity causes the base 16to pivot about the pivots 16a and 16b and swing downward. Also themember 12 is caused to pivot about the pivots 13 and swing away from themember 11. This also causes the member 11 to move slightly outwardpivoting about the handle supports 30a thus moving the forward wall 11afrom the bag 23. The bag 23 drops quickly out of contact with the bagholders 20 since there is but frictional support of the bags between themembers 20 and the bag 22. In some uses, it is desirable to remove theholders 20 from the bag 23 and to close the bag within the receptacleprior to the release operation depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10. In whichcase, of course, a closed bag would be discharged from the bottom of thegarbage receptacle 10.

As best shown in FIG. 10, the wall 12a at the bottom of the base memberhas an outstanding lip portion 12k for the prevention of leakage fromthe bag and for aid in release of the bag from the member 12. The bottomand top rear edge corners of the side walls 11b are cut off at 11k toaccommodate the lip portion 12k and the top, as shown in FIG. at 11b, toallow the member 12 to pivot freely.

It should be noted that with the base 16 released and swung away, thebag 23 is surrounded on three sides by the un-reinforced walls 11a and11b of the member 11. These walls being preferably constructed offlexible material offer little resistance to the discharge of the bagand its contents even if the contents be of irregular shapes such aswould normally resist discharge. The unreinforced side walls 11b beingof flexible material allow behavior, at least in part, as if they werefree, to expand outwardly from the bag 23. Thus, the bag 23 iseffectively freed of all the supporting walls of the members 11 and 12during the discharge operation.

It should further be noted that, in returning the receptacle to itsclosed position, the side walls 12a of the member 12 function toautomatically align the walls 11b of the member 11 and to reinforcethem.

As will now be apparent a receptacle for garbage and the like has beenprovided which is both economical to manufacture and easy to use. Thereceptacle It) by providing a splitting or opening between its membersprevents the jamming of the bag-receiving tube by large or irregularlyshaped items and facilitates the easy ejection of the bag and itscontents without the necessity of handling the garbage bag itself.

It will be understood that various modification may be suggested by theembodiment disclosed, but we desire to claim Within the scope of thepatent warranted hereon all such modifications as come within the scopeof our invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. A receptacle adapted to receive a bag, support the bag in openupright position to receive material introduced through the top of thereceptacle and discharge the filled bag through the bottom of thereceptacle which comprises:

pivotally connected complementary members defining an open-ended tube inclosed position and adapted to swing to an open position providing anenlarged space therebetween,

alid selectively closing the top of the tube;

6 a base selectively closing the bottom of the tube, and meansselectively locking the members and base in closed position,

whereby a bag introduced through the top of the closed, locked-togethermembers and base may rest on the base completely enveloped by themembers in supported upright position lining the tube defined thereby toreceive material through the top thereof which may easily be dis chargedthrough the bottom by unlocking the members and base and by swinging themembers to an open position.

2. The receptacle as claimed in claim 1 in which said tube is of arectangular shape sized to receive conventional paper bags.

3. The receptacle as claimed in claim 2 in which said base is generallyrectangular in shape and is pivotally mounted on one of said pivotallyconnected complementary members defining the open-ended tube forswinging clear of the bottom of the tube when said members are swung tothe open position.

4. The receptacle as claimed in claim 3 in which said base is pivotallyaflixed at one longitudinal edge to said one member and includes lockingmeans formed between said base and another of said members, wherebyrelease of said locking means when said receptacle is supported in anupright position with said base clear to pivot causes said base to pivotand said members to open to enable said receptacle to discharge a bag.

5. The receptacle as claimed in claim 1 in which a plurality of bagholders is mounted about the upper portion of said tube-defining membersfor releasably holding the sides of a bag against said members.

6. The receptacle as claimed in claim 4 in which said lid is of agenerally rectangular shape and is pivotally mounted along onelongitudinal edge to one of said members to pivot from a positionoverlying and closing the top of said tube defined by said members to aposition in which said tube is open so as to receive a bag and materialtherethrough.

7. The receptacle as claimed in claim 1 further characterized by havingsaid members constructed of a flexible material such as polyethylene andstifi rubber and reinforced by a plurality of wire sections.

8. The receptacle as claimed in claim 1 in which said members include afirst member having a rectangular front wall and generally rectangularside walls for enclosing three sides of a bag and a second member havinga rectangular wall for enclosing the third side of the bag in the closedposition, said second member including two triangular-shaped side wallsfor overlying part of the side walls of the first member, said first andsecond members being pivotally connected between each pair of saidoverlying side walls.

9. The receptacle as claimed in claim 8 further characterized by havingsaid members formed of a material specified in claim 7 and said secondmember is reinforced about its periphery by a circular cross-sectionalwire about which the material of said member is at least partiallyformed.

10. The receptacle as claimed in claim 9 in which said base is pivotallyaflixed to a section of said wire by means of a C-shaped, incross-section, opening formed therein having a breach less than thediameter of the wire so that it may be inserted thereon in assembly bypressing thereagainst.

11. The receptacle as claimed in claim 7 in which said members arereinforced about the upper edge of the tube formed by means of a wiresegment, and a plurality of bag holders constructed of a plasticmaterial having a C-shaped, in crosssection, mounting for attaching tosaid wires at spaced intervals about the upper edges of said members,said C-shaped mounting having a breach smaller than the diameter of thewire for aflixing the holders thereto and said holder being resilientlydeformable so as to allow said mounting to resiliently deform to receivesaid wire during assembly.

7 8 V 12. The receptacle as claimed in claim 8 constructed in ReferencesCited accordance with claim 7 and further characterized by hav- UNITEDSTATES PATENTS mg the pivotal connection between the overlymg side walls3 185 339 195 e g 0 t fir d d f V Pt-F-r er. .t of he st and seconmembers forme by means 0 an 65 /1 Mu qy Ft 9 2' 6s outstanding conicallyshaped section which increases in 5 diameter from the plane of the sidewall on one of said members and a conformingly shaped hole in the sideWall THbRON D- F -"1?"? m of the other member. G. T. HALL, AssistantExaminer.

1. A RECEPTACLE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A BAG, SUPPORT THE BAG IN OPENUPRIGHT POSITION TO RECEIVE MATERIAL INTRODUCED THROUGH THE TOP OF THERECEPTACLE AND DISCHARGE THE FILLED BAG THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THERECEPTACLE WHICH COMPRISES: PIVOTALLY CONNECTED COMPLEMENTARY MEMBERSDEFINING AN OPEN-ENDED TUBE IN CLOSED POSITION AND ADAPTED TO SWING TOAN OPEN POSITION PROVIDING AN ENLARGED SPACE THERETBETWEEN, A LIDSELECTIVELY CLOSING THE TOP OF THE TUBE, A BASE SELECTIVELY CLOSING THEBOTTOM OF THE TUBE, AND MEANS SELECTIVELY LOCKING THE MEMBERS AN BASE INCLOSED POSITION, WHEREBY A BAG INTRODUCED THROUGH THE TOP OF THE CLOSED,LOCKED-TOGETHER MEMBERS AND BASE MAY REST ON THE BASE COMPLETELYENVELOPED BY THE MEMBERS IN SUPPORTED UPRIGHT POSITION LINING THE TUBEDEFINED THEREBY TO RECEIVE MATERIAL THROUGH THE TOP THEREOF WHICH MAYEASILY BE DISCHARGED THROUGH THE BOTTOM BY UNLOCKING THE MEMBERS ANDBASE AND BY SWINGING THE MEMBERS TO AN OPEN POSITION.